Enjoying retirement
In The Red Rose County
I'm always amazed by Preston. With a few hundred million spending on it, and all the atrocious Sixties concrete buildings knocked down, it could be superb. The ex Harris Institute below is a good example of what's wrong. It is a massive classically designed public building, empty for a long time, currently needing a lot of tlc. It is Grade II * but on the 'At Risk' list with Historic England who said in 2019 "In recent years the Institute was operated as Darul Uloom Islamic Institute but closed after a year of operation and the building has stood empty since 2014. There is a risk that dry rot (which was previously eradicated) could re-establish as the building is unventilated and suffering from water ingress.” In 2022 it is currently for sale at £350,000. with no takers. Surely a partnership between Council and a developer could turn it to a hotel/offices/accommodation........ It stands not far from the impressive Winckley Square in a Georgian area which could easily one would have thought be reinvigorated. There are some interesting examples of appropriate use of old buildings s you wander around the town.........and later we were to see a prime example. Whilst waiting for our meeting at the Plau we walked round the university area, and very good it was too with interesting buildings and terific planting. Here is one of the older Uni buildings...... and, next to it the building of John Crook, tea merchant and grocer whose last mention was in 1963..... WE were headed for The Plau Gin and Beer House as part of the Heritage Days openings in Preston. The Plau opened in November 2018 after more than three years of careful and sensitive restoration of the building, most of which dates from the the 18th century. Built in 1668 as a butcher’s shop, Plau was first converted into a pub in 1795. The name recalls the fact that the Plough Inn occupied the property in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries, which finally closed as a licensed premises in 1923. The resurrection after 95 years of closure must be one of the longest gaps in the country. Jeremy Rowlands, owner of Plau said, “We had this romantic notion of a place lost in history and set out plans for its renovation, which quickly escalated into a much bigger project.“We ended up purchasing a second part of the building, within which we uncovered an 18th century subterranean gin distillery, that has now become our vaulted cellar bar. We also found a 40ft medieval well in the cellar that housed pieces of pottery and historic bottles, which we’ve collated into a display cabinet of curiosities inside Plau”. We entered into the front bar, and were struck by the atmosphere inside the building. ........and we went below to the cellars, and gin bar.......where we had a talk on the restoration from one of the owners.....the historic nature of Plau has really only been revealed by meticulous restoration.......before they took it on it was a vintage clothing shop and a tattoo bar with 'modern' fixtures and fittings. The vaults for instance were a chance discovery being filled with 50 tons of rubble and not even visible........their restoration including a gin distllery in the yard contributed to several awards including the ‘Conversion Award’ in CAMRA’s prestigious Pub Design Awards. Andrew Davison, chair of CAMRA’s Pub Design Award judging panel, said: “Jeremy Rowlands and architect/designer Rose Peploe of The Artistry House have turned a disused and run-down building into a highly attractive pub, its refurbishment informed both by the known history of the building and by features uncovered during the work. “It uses the long narrow plan and the height of the building to the full, from the vaults in the cellar – with its reopened medieval well – to the split-level ground floor bar, with a more secluded room behind, and the dining room on the upper floor, with its open roof-trusses and boarded roof lining. All has been done with great care, and with quality materials. The result is striking – a traditional pub re-imagined for the 21st century!” Much hard work and digging also uncovered a medieval well unusually constructed with ashlar cut stone which shows it was done by someone with lots of wealth, possibly the nearby Greyfriars...... The dining room where we had a meal later was quite special with its panelling and....... .....views to the rafters......... but everywhere there were things of interest to see whether Victorian screens...... old paintings....... or a cabinet of items found in the excavation of the well......... One of five chandeliers carefully assembled from bits and pieces by the owner gives just some idea of the amount of work and care that went into the restoration. Exiting the back of The Plau we were escorted along a very long internal passageway which once was a medieval lane and this led to a sister establishment - Once Was Lost. They share this beautiful and historic courtyard. Next to it is a 'lifestyle' shop. These buildings are converted weavers cottages. Who knew all this existed in Preston?! The street on which Plau sits - Friargate - is full of modern tatty buildings with modern frontages, takeaways and tat shops, but look up and you see buildings which could be very like Plau. Lots of potential for improvement then.
Ironically the Plau is associated with Thomas Swindlehurst and his decision to for-swear all alcohol in the pub itself, which anticipated the advocacy of teetotalism by the temperance movement, of which he was one of the leading crusaders.
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August 2023
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